Engines are designed to perform a variety of functions and may be used, for example, as power plants for vehicles and generator sets in a variety of output horsepowers.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,638,769 issued to Benny Ballheimer on Jan. 27, 1987 relates to the design and construction of present multipiece block and midsupported liner engines. The patent discloses an engine which includes a multipiece block having a top and bottom portion, a cylinder head, and a midsupported liner. The top block portion and cylinder liner form an annular space therebetween for cooling the combustion area. The top block portion is structurally designed to have a simple profile which is easy to cast, core, and machine, thereby reducing overall costs. In addition, the patent states that a variety of engine sizes can be manufactured on a common machining center with a minimum of component changes through use of this design. By varying the height of the top block portion, the annular space, and the stroke, the horsepower output of the engine can be varied while using the same bottom portion and cylinder head. However, the patent does not disclose the componentry changes which are essential to varying the horsepower output of the engine.